Students who scored 90 marks in CLAT 2026 secured admission at MNLU Mumbai, HNLU Raipur, RMLNLU Lucknow and more than a dozen other National Law Universities in Round 5, the final counselling round that concluded on June 26, 2026.
CLAT 2026 was conducted on December 1, 2025 by the Consortium of NLUs. The UG programme carries a total of 120 marks. At 90 marks, a student scores 75 percent of the total and secures an All India Rank of approximately 500 to 700 in the General category, based on CLAT 2026 counselling analysis. This is above the closing threshold at several well-regarded NLUs but falls just short of GNLU Gandhinagar, NLU Jodhpur and NLIU Bhopal in the General category.
- CLAT 2026 total marks: 120 (120 MCQs; +1 for correct, -0.25 for incorrect answer)
- 90 marks = 75 percent of total; corresponds to approximately AIR 500 to 700 in the General category
- 16 NLUs had a closing cutoff at or below 90 marks in Round 5 for General category students
- OBC and EWS students with 90 marks were competitive at NLU Jodhpur and GNLU; SC and ST students at NALSAR and WBNUJS
| Direct Link — CLAT 2026 Official Portal (ACTIVE) | consortiumofnlus.ac.in/clat-2026 |
What 90 Marks Means in CLAT 2026
CLAT 2026 comprised 120 multiple-choice questions with a maximum of 120 marks. Because negative marking deducts 0.25 marks for each wrong answer, final scores frequently appear as decimals. A student who answered 94 questions correctly and 6 incorrectly, for example, would score 92.5 marks.
At 90 marks, a student falls in a competitive mid-band. Based on CLAT 2026 counselling analysis, 90 marks places a General category student at approximately AIR 500 to 700. Scores between 88 and 93 are densely contested — a single mark difference can shift rank by 100 to 200 positions. The table below maps key score bands to approximate All India Ranks.
| Score (out of 120) | Approximate AIR — General Category |
|---|---|
| 100 and above | Top 50 |
| 96–100 | 50–200 |
| 93–96 | 200–400 |
| 91–93 | 400–600 |
| 89–91 | 600–900 |
| 86–89 | 900–1,500 |
| 82–86 | 1,500–2,500 |
| Below 82 | 2,500 and above |
NLUs That Accepted 90 Marks as Final Closing Cutoff
The table below lists NLUs where the Round 5 closing cutoff was at or below 90 marks for General category students in the BA LLB programme, based on CLAT 2026 counselling analysis. Students scoring 90 marks were at or above the closing threshold at each of these NLUs.
| NLU | State | Approx. Closing Marks — General | Approx. Closing AIR |
|---|---|---|---|
| MNLU Mumbai | Maharashtra | ~90 | ~700 |
| HNLU Raipur | Chhattisgarh | ~87–89 | ~850–1,000 |
| RMLNLU Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | ~86–88 | ~1,000–1,200 |
| NLUO Cuttack | Odisha | ~86–88 | ~1,050–1,250 |
| HPNLU Shimla | Himachal Pradesh | ~85–87 | ~1,100–1,350 |
| NUALS Kochi | Kerala | ~85–87 | ~1,200–1,400 |
| CNLU Patna | Bihar | ~84–86 | ~1,350–1,500 |
| MNLU Nagpur | Maharashtra | ~83–85 | ~1,500–1,700 |
| NUSRL Ranchi | Jharkhand | ~83–85 | ~1,600–1,800 |
| DSNLU Visakhapatnam | Andhra Pradesh | ~82–84 | ~1,700–1,900 |
| TNNLU Tiruchirappalli | Tamil Nadu | ~82–84 | ~1,800–2,000 |
| DBRANLU Sonepat | Haryana | ~80–83 | ~1,900–2,200 |
| MNLU Aurangabad | Maharashtra | ~80–83 | ~2,000–2,300 |
| RPNLU Prayagraj | Uttar Pradesh | ~78–81 | ~2,400–2,700 |
| IIULER Goa | Goa | ~77–80 | ~2,700–3,000 |
| NLUT Agartala | Tripura | ~76–79 | ~2,800–3,200 |
Closing marks and ranks above are based on CLAT 2026 Round 5 counselling analysis. Several NLUs operate domicile reservations; out-of-state students may face a higher effective cutoff for non-domicile seats at NLUs such as RMLNLU Lucknow and MNLU Mumbai.
NLUs Beyond Reach at 90 Marks — General Category
Six NLUs closed above 90 marks for General category students in Round 5 of CLAT 2026 counselling. A student scoring 90 marks in the General category did not receive allotment at any of these NLUs in the final round. The gap is narrowest at GNLU and NLIU Bhopal — just one to two marks, the equivalent of one correctly answered question.
| NLU | Approx. Closing Marks — General | Gap from 90 Marks |
|---|---|---|
| NLSIU Bangalore | 100–105 | 10–15 marks above |
| NALSAR Hyderabad | 97–100 | 7–10 marks above |
| WBNUJS Kolkata | 93–95 | 3–5 marks above |
| NLU Jodhpur | 92–93 | 2–3 marks above |
| GNLU Gandhinagar | 91–92 | 1–2 marks above |
| NLIU Bhopal | 91–92 | 1–2 marks above |
Category-Wise Impact of Scoring 90 Marks
Reserved category students scoring 90 marks in CLAT 2026 had substantially better admission prospects. The closing cutoff for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) and EWS categories is typically 3 to 6 marks lower than General, while SC and ST cutoffs are 15 to 25 marks below General. The table below shows the approximate General-category equivalent and the best NLUs accessible in each category at 90 marks.
| Category | Approx. General-Category Equivalent | Best NLU Accessible at 90 Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General | 90 marks (baseline) | MNLU Mumbai |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | ~93–96 equivalent | GNLU Gandhinagar, NLIU Bhopal (borderline) |
| EWS | ~93–95 equivalent | NLU Jodhpur, GNLU Gandhinagar range |
| SC | ~107–112 equivalent | NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata |
| ST | ~110–115 equivalent | NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad |
Category-wise cutoffs operate within each NLU’s seat matrix separately. A student’s eligibility depends on both the category closing rank and the number of seats available in that category at the chosen NLU.
What Drove the Closing Cutoff in Round 5
The final closing cutoff at each NLU in Round 5 was shaped by a set of structural factors:
- Seat matrix and vacancies: NLUs with larger intake or more unfilled seats after the first four rounds had lower Round 5 closing cutoffs.
- Freeze and exit choices: Round 5 offered only Freeze or Exit options. When students froze at higher-ranked NLUs, vacancies opened at the next tier and drove cutoffs down.
- Domicile reservations: NLUs such as RMLNLU Lucknow, MNLU Mumbai and HPNLU Shimla reserve a share of seats for state domicile students. Non-domicile students compete for fewer general seats, which can raise the effective cutoff for them.
- Programme-wise seats: Closing cutoffs for BBA LLB programmes at the same NLU may differ from BA LLB cutoffs. All data in this article refers to BA LLB unless stated otherwise.
CLAT 2026 90 Marks FAQs
Ques. Is 90 out of 120 a good score in CLAT 2026?
Ans. Yes, 90 marks — 75 percent of total — is a competitive score in CLAT 2026. It places a General category student at approximately AIR 500 to 700 and opens admission at 16 NLUs including MNLU Mumbai, HNLU Raipur and RMLNLU Lucknow. It falls just short of the closing cutoff at GNLU Gandhinagar and NLIU Bhopal for General category students.
Ques. What rank do I get with 90 marks in CLAT 2026?
Ans. Based on CLAT 2026 counselling analysis, 90 marks in the General category corresponds to approximately AIR 500 to 700. The score-to-rank relationship is not fixed — it shifts with the difficulty of each year’s paper and the overall performance of all students who appeared.
Ques. Can I get into NLU Jodhpur or GNLU Gandhinagar with 90 marks in CLAT 2026?
Ans. Not in the General category. NLU Jodhpur closed at approximately 92 to 93 marks and GNLU Gandhinagar at 91 to 92 marks in Round 5 of CLAT 2026 counselling. General category students with 90 marks were short of both thresholds. OBC (NCL) and EWS students with 90 marks were, however, competitive for both NLUs.
Ques. Which is the best NLU for a General category student with 90 marks in CLAT 2026?
Ans. Based on Round 5 closing cutoffs, MNLU Mumbai (Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai) was the highest-ranked NLU accessible to General category students at approximately 90 marks in CLAT 2026. HNLU Raipur and RMLNLU Lucknow were also within comfortable reach at this score.
Ques. Do SC and ST students with 90 marks get into better NLUs in CLAT 2026?
Ans. Yes, significantly better. SC category closing cutoffs are typically 15 to 20 marks below the General category equivalent, and ST cutoffs are even lower. An SC student scoring 90 marks in CLAT 2026 was competitive at NALSAR Hyderabad and WBNUJS Kolkata. An ST student at 90 marks was in contention at NLSIU Bangalore and NALSAR Hyderabad. Exact category-wise closing ranks are published in the official allotment lists on consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
Ques. Does domicile quota affect a 90-mark scorer’s chances at NLUs in CLAT 2026?
Ans. Yes. Several NLUs reserve 25 to 50 percent of seats for state domicile students. If you are not from the home state of a particular NLU, you compete only for non-domicile seats and the effective closing cutoff for those seats can be higher than the overall figure. Students from Uttar Pradesh seeking RMLNLU Lucknow or Maharashtra students seeking MNLU Mumbai compete within a separate domicile pool. Check the official round-wise allotment lists on consortiumofnlus.ac.in for domicile-specific closing ranks.
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